


Not A Love Story

by cordeliadelayne



Category: Primeval
Genre: Clubbing, Cutter can be insufferable, Dancing, Dinosaurs, F/M, Getting Together, Jenny is a saint, Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-30
Updated: 2016-08-30
Packaged: 2018-08-11 20:20:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7906255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cordeliadelayne/pseuds/cordeliadelayne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's no such thing as a perfect relationship, and Jenny and Nick know that more than most.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not A Love Story

**Author's Note:**

  * For [reggietate](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=reggietate).



> Written as a Christmas present for reggietate who gave the prompts “chasing butterflies, a night on the tiles and classical music”. 
> 
> Originally posted to Livejournal in 2012.

“Is it true?” Jenny asked. “That thing about butterflies causing havoc on the other side of the world?”

Cutter looked up from his notebook to stare at Jenny. Then he looked over at the butterfly house. There was a hole in the roof, caused by an overly curious diplodocus, and all the butterflies were shooting up into the sky, a rainbow of colour. The keeper of the butterfly house was standing, arms outstretched, as if she could call them all back.

“Do you really want me to get into that right now?”

“I suppose not,” Jenny conceded. She supposed she ought to be down there with the others, carolling visitors, and dinosaurs, into some sort of order. But instead she found herself sitting on the bench next to Cutter. Their position on the incline on the way to the great house was the perfect vantage point for observing the chaos without actually having to get involved.

“Are you not going to – do whatever it is you do at times like this?”

Jenny raised a delicately plucked eyebrow. “And what exactly is it that you think I do?”

“Flirt. Lie. The usual.” Cutter wasn't paying attention to the conversation, but scribbling notes, so he didn't see the hurt look on Jenny's face.

“I see.”

The coldness in her tone did make him look up then. “I've offended you.”

“No, no, why would I _possibly_ be offended?”

She stood up and attempted to storm off but Cutter was surprisingly quick to grab her arm and pull her back. He slightly extended his reach though and pulled her so close that their bodies were flush together.

“I – I didn't mean to sound – aye, you know what, never mind.”

He let Jenny go and she slowly stepped away.

“That poor woman's life is in ruins down there, and I can't tell her why. All I can do is make her feel a little better by telling her whatever it will take to make her believe that, just for a moment, it isn't as bad as she feared.” Jenny looked down the hill, where the woman was now sitting on the ground, crying her eyes out. “Maybe it's time you started remembering the people the anomalies effect. You used to be good at that.”

She turned and hurried away before Cutter could see the tears in her eyes. She'd never met such a frustrating man in all her life. So caught up in his anger at Stephen that he'd practically banished him to the other side of the world and seemed content just to lick his wounds for the rest of his life.

“Jenny, wait!” Cutter called after her, but she ploughed on, almost tripping in her haste to get away. Good thing she had finally decided to ditch the heels, but even her boots were no match for the rain soaked incline.

“Everything okay?” Abby asked as she hurried by.

Slowing to a more natural pace she nodded. “Yes, just...” She stopped and looked back up to where Cutter was slowly walking towards them, hands twitching as if carolling a twitchy creature into a pen. “Cutter really is the most insufferable man.”

Abby laughed. “Are you only just realising this now?”

Jenny couldn't help laughing herself at Abby's expression. “Dinosaurs!” she suddenly said and then she and Abby started laughing until they were crying, much to the bemusement of Becker.

“Anything I can help you ladies with?” he asked. “Or perhaps you would like to help me get that thing back through that anomaly.”

“What?” Abby said, spinning around. Moments before they'd been wondering how to get the creatures back to the ARC and now, popped fresh into existence, was the anomaly it must have come through.

“Oh,” Connor said, eyes open wide. “It's back.”

“Yes, Connor,” Becker said drily, “very observant. Any idea how we can...” He stopped talking as the dinosaurs began to amble back through the anomaly by their own volition. “Any one else feel obsolete?” he asked to no one in particular. He started to move away back to the cars, keeping a careful eye on the dinosaurs but signalling for his men not to interfere; damage was minimal and there were no human casualties, Lester would be pleased.

“You know what you need?” Abby asked, turning back to Jenny. “A night out. Some drinks, some dancing, some more drinks...What do you say?”

Jenny thought about it. She didn't usually associate with work colleagues outside of work. But then theirs was an exceptional workplace and somehow, in such a short space of time, they'd become her friends as well as people she worked with. And she certainly hadn't truly let her hair down in a very long time.

“All right,” Jenny said. “That sounds wonderful. Tomorrow night?”

“Brilliant!” Connor said, then looked hesitantly at Abby. “Or is it girls only?”

Abby looked like she was considering it. “No, I think boys are allowed too. Anyone who fancies it, in fact,” she added a little more loudly, and glared significantly at Cutter. Jenny didn’t turn around to see how he had reacted; she'd rather be surprised.  
  
* * * * *

Jenny felt far too old for the club they were in, but that didn't stop her from hopping on the dance floor at the first opportunity. She was dressed in a sparkly silver dress that showed of all her assets and she didn't care who was looking. Abby was dressed in her usual jeans and top and looked just as stunning as if she'd spent all day getting ready – Jenny envied the freshness of youth. Connor – well, Connor's outfit was best left to the back of her mind where it would hopefully fester and disappear without causing her any nightmares.

The beat of the music amped up and Jenny and Abby paired up, dancing until their feet ached and Jenny had no option but to kick off her ridiculously expensive shoes and dance barefoot for the rest of the night. Abby had soon taken to partnering Connor at every opportunity and Jenny was left to wonder when exactly they would admit how much they loved each other. Hopefully well before another extinction event.

Finally she gave up the dance floor in favour of sinking down in a comfy char with a glass of water. What she didn't expect was to find Cutter sitting in the corner of the booth she'd had her eye on.

“How long have you been here?” she asked, putting her shoes down on to the table.

“Long enough to go slightly deaf,” Cuter shouted back. “And that's bad luck.” He took her shoes off the table and put them down on the floor.

Jenny observed him with an amused expression on her face. “I don't suppose I could convince you to go for a dance?”

“No,” Cutter replied, looking adorably out of place. “But I will walk you home.”

“All right,” Jenny replied, slipping her shoes back on. “Come on then.”

She sent a quick text to Abby to let her know where she had gone and then took Cutter's hand and moved with him across the dance floor. As one song finished and another started Jenny twisted around and pressed herself into Cutter's arms.

“I love this song,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck and then kissing him.

Cutter barley had time to react before she was pulling him towards the door.

The cool night air was a refreshing change to the stuffiness of the club and Jenny smiled as Cutter took off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders.

“Ever the gentlemen?” she teased.

Cutter looked like he wasn't sure what was going on, but he was enjoying himself nonetheless.

They walked on in companionable silence – it was probably further than Jenny would normally walk home but somehow her aching feet didn't matter all that much when Cutter was by her side.

“I'm sorry,” Cutter said after a while. “I don't – I don't really know what a normal relationship is like. Not after Helen.”

Jenny stopped and turned to face him. “Do I remind you of Helen?”

“God no,” he said straight away.

Jenny smiled and kissed his cheek. “Good answer.”

They held hands for the rest of the way back to Jenny's and Jenny, magnanimously if she thought so herself, let him sleep on the sofa.

* * * ** *

Jenny couldn't remember a hangover as bad as the one she was currently sporting. It wasn't as if she'd actually had that much alcohol to drink last night, but then she'd not really been drinking enough water either, always finding herself dancing when she perhaps should have been taking a break. She felt like she was back at uni.

As she slowly padded towards the bathroom, hair tangled, mascara she hadn’t bothered to remove last night scrawled along her cheeks, dress twisted around her middle (she hadn't bothered to undress either, something she normally never did), she remembered that she wasn't alone. She could hear the soft tunes of the radio in the kitchen and the unmistakable sounds of breakfast being prepared.

“Shit, shit,” she muttered to herself, dashing as quickly and quietly back to her bedroom as she could. She wiped at her make-up, grabbed a pair of jeans and a top from her wardrobe and then dashed back to the bedroom.

Her shower was the quickest she'd ever taken and once she had tied her hair up into a bun and sorted out her face she felt a little more alive. Certainly able to face Cutter, if not the world.

“I've made tea, if you’re ready,” Cutter called up the stairs.

“Be there in a sec!” Jenny cried, and winced. Her headache certainly hadn't dissipated yet.

Downstairs she found scrambled eggs and bacon waiting for her, along with a strong looking cup of tea.

“Thank you,” she said, a little hesitatingly, despite this being her kitchen. She wondered just what else she had done last night – the kissing she remembered, but then?

“It's to thank you for letting me stay last night,” Cutter said. Jenny smiled; Cutter was looking adorably rumpled in the clothes he'd slept in.

She tucked in without another word, discovering that she was absolutely starving. Cutter watched her a moment with a smile on his face, before beginning on his own breakfast.

“I didn't peg you for a classical girl,” Cutter said.

Jenny frowned. “What?”

“This is the station the radio was tuned to,” he replied, indicating the music that was gently filling the room. “I didn't want to mess with your settings.”

“Believe it or not I used to play the violin at school.”

“Really?” Cutter asked. “What happened?”

“Boys,” she replied with a smile. “The same thing that always happens.”

“And what's happening now?” Cutter asked, putting his mug of tea back on the table and staring at Jenny very intently. She stared back.

“I don't know,” Jenny replied. She felt more unsure of herself now than she ever had before. Cutter was so completely different to what she was used to, he managed to wrong-foot her every time.

“Would you like to not know together?” he asked. He reached over and took her hand, squeezing it gently.

Jenny found that she didn’t completely dislike the idea. “All right, yes,” she replied. In fact, dislike didn't really come into the equation at all.

It might not have been love, but it was something very like it. And for the time being that was more than enough for the both of them.


End file.
